A logo can make or break your business.
As part of your brand and the ‘face’ of your business – your logo has a big job to do!
It’s what gives your business its identity and it’s importance can not be overstated.
“One of the first things your prospects will see, besides your name, is your logo.”
Every business, either big or small, needs a logo for recognition and to establish an identity.
However, not every business gets it right and there are some common mistakes to watch out for to avoid financial loss if they’re not right.
Avoid these 6 common logo mistakes:
1/ Doing it on the ‘cheapy-cheap’
NEVER shy away from investing in a logo. It gives you the value and the power of a strong market identity. Without this, your nondescript ‘same-as-everyone-else’s’- ‘bodged together bits of clipart’ can not only look bad (and cheap!), but can cause a business to fail.
Whilst there are many websites providing logo designs for free or very cheap, these jobs can end up being more expensive in the long-term.
And… never do your own logo unless you are a logo designer or branding specialist…
If not… hire a professional.
Remember that old adage ‘you only get what you pay for’ ? It’s absolutely true when it comes to logos!
You should be willing to invest in your business to get a good quality logo – after all, it needs to carry your brand for the next 10 to 20 years… so get it right from the start.
AVOID
- Designing your own logo (at all costs). It’s akin to doing your own dentistry!
- Getting it designed by an amateur/unqualified person, or someone who has no connection to your target market
2/ Too simple or too complex
It’s true that simple logos are more memorable (think Nike), but the market is changing, and this means means changing logo requirements.
Today, logos need to be conceptual and unique.
A logo is NOT an illustration of what your business does… otherwise McDonald’s logo would be a burger and fries!
Logos can be abstract, however, being too abstract means it could be hard to understand and it won’t connect or be memorable.
Complex or overly detailed logos are hard to remember and often difficult to scale and print.
AVOID
- Overly simple design
- Overly complex designs
- Logo’s that don’t print well
3/ Copyright Issues
Whoever designs your logo owns the Copyright of that logo under Australian (and most other countries) laws.
When you receive your final logo files from your designer, they should be accompanied by legal documents stating the use requirements and license of copyright.
You should have these documents in case you decide to trademark your logo and to ensure that the designer (friend, team member etc.) doesn’t come back at you several years down the track claiming a breach of copyright…costly!
4/ Quality of Files
Logos are used everywhere (web, print, embroidery on t-shirts etc.) and in different sizes, so the final output files and image quality is important.
A logo should be created in vector format with special design software which uses mathematically precise points (vectors are layered files that can scale to any size without loss of quality).
The cheap alternative is a JPEG image. JPEG’s are compressed files with a background, are of low quality and can pixelate (go blurry) if the size is changed.
AVOID
- A logo as a raster image
- A logo that cannot scale
- A logo that lacks consistency when printed
5/ The Brand
A logo is more than just an image or a symbol. It tells a story and must be able to effectively communicate the brand.
Without speaking at length with the designer about your business, your goals, your target market, and your positioning in the marketplace, then a logo has no reflection on that business at all.
AVOID
- A disconnect between your brand and your logo
6/ Colours and Fonts
There’s a whole psychology behind brand colours. A designer knows what will appeal to your target market demographic and what won’t.
For instance… red, yellow, green or orange colours are thought to induce hunger (McD’s have it right eh?).
And your logo should also look good in mono as well.
Fonts need to be ‘readable’ and sturdy so they don’t disintegrate across different mediums.
Maximum 2 fonts to a logo – please!
Be aware that fonts are also covered by their own copyright from the foundry that created them.
AVOID
- Too many fonts
- Too many colours
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Check out some of the logos we have designed in our Logo Portfolio
Contact us to chat about your branding requirements.
